Michael Schumacher accused David Coulthard of ‘trying to kill him’ after Belgian GP smash

dailystar.co.uk:

F1 has returned to action after the summer break with one of the highlights of the calendar – the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.The popular venue, a real favourite among drivers and fans, has provided numerous memorable moments down the years, often caused by the inclement weather in the Ardennes area of Belgium.

Arguably the most dramatic F1 race at Spa occurred in 1998, won by Damon Hill in appalling conditions. It was Jordan’s maiden F1 win and the final victory of the 1996 world champion’s career.But that only told part of the story of an incredible afternoon of drama, which began seconds after the lights went out.

David Coulthard, after a poor start, slammed into a wall coming out of the first corner and triggered one of the biggest first-lap pile-ups in the sport’s history. READ MORE: Jenson Button says tracks like Spa must stay on F1 calendar to keep drivers happy On commentary, the legendary Murray Walker said: “This is quite appalling, this is the worst start for a Grand Prix I have ever seen in the whole my life.”Incredibly, there were no serious injuries and Coulthard even managed to take the restart in the spare car.

There was another crash straight after the restart, but crucially it wasn’t serious enough to trigger a red flag.Pole-sitter Mika Hakkinen spun at the first corner while trying to hold off championship rival Michael Schumacher and the Sauber of Johnny Herbert spun into the stricken McLaren, ending the Finn’s race on the spot.However, the race continued with early leader Hill being overtaken by Schumacher’s Ferrari on the seventh lap.